CC_Minutes_2011_0321 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Regular City Council Meeting Monday, March 21,2011 Page 17 parking would be opened up on Prior as opposed to the parking lot, with Mr. Rygh responding that original proposed fields now looked entirely different, and noted the School District's meetings with residents over the winter months; how- ever, he didn't recall any promises being made by the District to not open up parking on Prior Avenue. Further discussion included other areas beyond the main parking lot to facilitate parking during the daytime, as well as during the evening; other activities on site, including adult and alternative high school activities and classes, and senior citi- zen activities; restricted parking and possible use of those parking stalls during off-hours; use of the field by other communities as well as the Roseville School District; pathway access and handicapped access to the fields and current parking areas; ongoing work at the fields and their use for varsity and junior varsity activi- ties; and how serious of a parking problem actually was anticipated beyond cur- rent available parking. Additional discussion included limited School District funds for this type of con- struction and other allocation of those funds; possibility of using the fields for a season prior to changing parking restrictions; current and potential impacts to res- idents along Prior as well as throughout the neighborhood; and the review and subsequent recommendation of the Traffic Safety Committee that removing park- ing restrictions on the east side of Prior Avenue was safer than having parking elsewhere or pedestrians required to cross streets. Councilmember McGehee opined that the school district had certainly given every impression to the residents during meetings that no additional parking would be needed or requested. She said that she detected an element of entitle- ment from Mr. Rygh regarding how Roseville chooses to purpose its city streets and felt this was inappropriate. She indicated that the area was not vegetatively screened from the neighborhood as around other parks within Roseville or as re- quired of many commercial properties. She also mentioned that there was no pathway along the street beside the fence. She commented that the fence facing the residential neighborhood was repaired on a patchwork basis. As for crossing streets, the safest location for parking was in the Fairview Lots on the north and south of the building as it required no crossing of streets. Councilmember McGe- hee stated she supported efforts to discourage parking anywhere within or along the residential neighborhood on the west and south of the fields. Public Comment Written comments were received by staff, and attached hereto and made a part hereof, from Chris Doneen of Shryer Avenue (in opposition); and Karen Rajcic, 1948 Skillman (in opposition and questioning assumptions and assertions); Mike Gregory, 1945 Sharondale Avenue (providing a historical perspective of ball fields and parking, in opposition); and Karen Willett, 1969 Shryer Avenue W (in opposition). it